BVLDARI

Fahrer, you hit this on the head!!!! I am not a big modding fan but I felt the same exact way about these cars. Had a hard time getting excited about the 55, the 600 would have requred too much work to turn it into a 65; I like unique, fast, cool things - so the choice was clear to me. I think you know where you are headed too...

rondocap

The S600 is easier to mod for the most part vs the S55.

If you have the extra cash for the S65, get that - it's really silly powerful even though it's difficult to utilize 100% of its power due to traction and being in the real world. But otherwise, I think the S55 is still my favorite.

Heh, it is amazing to see how the value for these cars go down so rapidly though, the S65 used to be $200k, and you can find one only a few years old in the $40k range now.

TMC M5

You can also get an ECU tune from other tuners for under half that price. The performance gains are as good (if not better) as RENNtech's tune.

Tom

MB_Fahrer

I hear what you're saying but I am fed up with being in cars that lack power. I want a car I can use 1/4 throttle and still get going, not have to mash on the gas. You have to be thankful for depreciation (as long as you aren't the first owner)! If not for that then people like us wouldn't have any chance of owning the S65/CL65/etc.

BVLDARI

based on what you have said, i think that there is a much larger chance that you will regret not getting a 65 vs. the others... of course, only you know your finances.

MB_Fahrer

Alright so after I've now talked myself into an S65 (thanks guys ) provided I actually can swing it... What quirks does the car have? Where is it lacking? What needs to be upgraded? Are there any parts about the car drives you up the wall?

BVLDARI

others are much more familiar with this car than I am, but my biggest challenge with the purchase was finding a clean example. just about all of them were beat to sh*t.

MB_Fahrer

I've noticed from what I've seen on ebay. Where would you recommend looking?

BVLDARI

I bought my car in San Francisco. I physically looked at cars in four cities - Atlanta, Boston and Chicago. I also watched everything that went through manheim. Talked to everyone that had one for sale regardless of how stupid their price was, because you never know. I looked at ebay, cars.com, autotrader.com, craigslist, and just did a general google search, e.g. 2006 s65 for sale. Sometimes the search engines will pick up stuff that is listed who-knows-where.

My general advice is figure out what you want. I wanted a clean car with certain options and was open to colors. A friend of mine bought a car with a little less miles and less options but not "perfect" for more than 10% less money than me plus it was black on black. If you are big on options, this will greatly limit the available cars because few of these are "fully loaded". If you are flexible on options and colors, you will have much better chance of finding a nice one. But every car I looked at had paintwork of some sort or another. Mine was the ONLY one that didnt (I dont count bumpers). Not saying the paint jobs were all bad, just that it wasnt original. I WANTED an original no paintwork car. I was willing to pay a bit more for that and compromise on the color. These are the things that you will need to figure out for yourself.

Also, mileage may affect the price of warranty. I would go with easycare or certified if possible. People say good things about the chrysler warranty but I personally dont have any experience with it. obviously you've seen that people are willing to drive these w/o warranties. I am not one of those brave people...

But bottom line is when you call the sellers, be sure to ask all questions, and be sure to get an inspection by someone qualified.

JR.

..

before you buy the 65 and sell the 55 short i would DRIVE BOTH.

the 55 motor (SL) that i have is pretty great and the 65 motor (S) is from God but it does have some quirks in an S.

i assume that the 55 motor car is 200 or 300lbs lighter..

everything in life is a tradeoff..

very fast cars but you are still pushing lots of weight.

but amg all the way, with a service contract.

.......................


the funny thing about BVLDARI is that he is a very young guy, acting like an old guy, driving a S65..


.

Zax63

I agree with most of the comments above from the last few posters. You've got to drive all of the above before deciding. But if you are a modder, and you save 10k to buy a 600, then spend 4k on software, 3k upgrading brakes, 5k upgrading suspension, you are at the 65 level. Not to mention the difference in little details (gauges, seats, etc.) Why not buy a car modded by a bunch of lunatics in Germany already? Plus, when you mod the 600, you'll harm the resale (or at best get no money for your mods back) whereas the 65 will continue to depreciate along a fairly linear curve. Also, the 65 has some heartier parts; l believe the tranny is made of tougher stuff, from what I remember reading. If you are 20, you'll feel like an old man in the 600, IMHO. I'd go 55 or 65.

Zachmac

I LOVE my S55. And with Kleeman mods I doubt any stock 600 or 65 is going to "walk all over me". You can buy a nice S55 for MUCH less than the 65, do the mods and still be way ahead $ wise. I also happen to prefer the last gen body style. BUT, if you have to have the newer look go with the 65 AMG. Just like Porsches non-turbos versus turbos, when AMG reworks a car you get a whole lot more than just a hotrod engine. You get better brakes, suspension, etc. Go with AMG cars in eityher case, S55 or 65 and forget about trying to turn a 600 luxobarge into a hotrod Yes you 600 owners, I know there a lots of very fast 600s out there and on a drag strip you may get there a few ticks faster but do you dare go to a track with corners? And no I am not so dillusional to think my S is an ideal track car; it is just lighter and better for the twisties than a 600.

rondocap

Zachmac, I think he is talking about the W220 s65 too - so it will look the same as your S55.

In terms of what to look for when buying the car - I'll let the owners of S65's chime in with details, but it's a W220 with beefy upgrades - so it will still have some W220 related issues that even an S430 may have. Check up on common problems, or even maintenance issues. (Like when motor mounts fail, wear and tear items, etc)

I agree with you that it's great having something you can get instant power out of and it goes with little throttle input - drive an S55 too, and I think it has that as well. Ultimately the S65 is more powerful, but it will be up to you price wise if it's worth it vs a S55 or S600.

BVLDARI

Haha, I agree with JR except that I am NOT trying to act like an old guy LOL.

But given that I was pushing for the 65 it is only fair that I give you the other side.

First, the 55 is indeed 500lbs lighter – at least according to online specifications. That in itself certainly makes it feel like an easier car to get rolling and feels nimbler and lighter. I don’t know how to say this better, but the 55 feels easier to live with daily.

The 65 is a tank on super steroids and then turbos and needs to be treated with a lot of respect. I think the 55 demands less respect (I use this loosely), and will be an easier car to live with day to day.

I will also again second that if you are going to spend $10k or whatever making a 600 into a 65, you might as well buy a 65.

So my recommendation is – go drive 55 and 65 before you get yourself hyped up too much about either and realize that one does not quite fit the bill.

Gondon

ECU flash is like 1500 from LET

retardedmunk

He sold it 3 months ago for $17k and bought a new S63... he said the car was perfect...looked like a low mile car and he had no problems with the car passed 50k miles...really nice guy...he also owns a CL55 and a few other cars...so it does show these cars can hold miles well into the hundreds of thousands...It is funny I always think when I sell a car with more then average miles on it that a buyer assumes an AMG is like a FERRARI and should not be driven so many miles or is a broken down useless car......LOL...yeah

I have a 125k mile S55 I am starting to advertise for $20k it has 125k miles...and honestly it is like a new car ride and drive... Very impressed actually....but then again why should I be....Our cars are built like tanks and with the best materials available .....if you can get 500,000 out of a Chevrolet Pick-up...(have seen this a few times) then why not a BENZ???

I have seen 350k miles on a few Town Car LIMOS.....and they were actually mechanically original and running excellent....and I am sure a Benz is better built then a Ford? Maybe I am wrong? LOL

retardedmunk

And they get great results....many members here are happy with it

retardedmunk

I personally own a 2006 S65 with 61k miles..
and as well a S55 2004 with 125k miles...

both of these cars drive like a 20k mile cars and if I told you they were you wouldnt second guess it...

The 55 and 65 are only a few hundred lbs. difference.........in the brakes and the engine...

The 65 feels much quicker and the torque puts u into another level..
the 55 on the other hand feels a little more nimble yet after 65 mph is seems to be very flat...out of the hole it takes off well...nothing like the 65 though..and the 55 like driving a smooth v8...it jerks a little and is more sensitive...yet the 65 is super linear and just pulls

BVLDARI

you might want to read throug this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...0-vs-sl65.html . I realise it pertains to SLs but there are some inherent similarities between the SLs and the Ss...

E55AMGFan

For super sleeper, nothing comes close to the S600 w/ a Eurocharged or aftermarket tuned, like Tom said, muffler delete or a custom setup like what FluidMotorUnion did to a S65 only on a S600 and it will sound great. For ease of power the S600 is insane. ECU Tune and 500+rwhp and 600+rwhp and hit mid 11s all day. The S55 though makes more grunting noises and has more aftermarket available. I would love to see someone take the V12 BiTurbo platform up a notch with better ICs,Turbos, etc. The IC part happened but it wasn't as mainstream since VRP is now gone.

Busa196

I too was in a debate whether to purchase the 600 or the 65. My brother let me drive his 600 for a week before I decided to sell my weekend driver Pro-Charged Vette and buy a V-12 bi-turb for my DD. His car had me convinced I wanted the V12 TT, but I couldnt decide if I wanted to fork up the extra 12-14k for a 65 vs. the 600. Well, I ended up doing just that and bought an '06 65.....and am sooooooo glad I decided to splurge on the AMG. The seats, brakes, 6.0 vs 5.5 liter, dash cluster, quad pipes and the raw perfomance make it worth every penny. It's the best decesion I've ever made.....buying the S65. I'll never own anything else.....it's paradise, everyday .

What else can you drive that'll seat 5 large adults and run mid 11's in pure luxury......under warranty. It's a no brainer........

Check out the vid in my sig.....how bout them apples?

-Busa196-

BVLDARI

Busa, this is a bit OT, but I really would like to know, did you run your car completely stock (including tires) in the 1/4, and if you did, how well did it do? The 11.5 you got was that with software or completely stock car on DR? And have you run the car after the software upgrade? Thanks.

Gondon

That was stock, I'm curious what Busa ran after the tune..I think its a secret

patrat

I just read all of your posts here to see what you're truly looking for before giving my advice. 1st, why S-class at 20?? Trying to get a hot cougar in Co?jk.
Seriously, my honest vote is S600 with AMG sport pkg then Eurocharged/LET custom dyno tune $1,500 & more aggressive porterfield pads will be enough for streets then go race S65/S55. Even the S65 feels like a pig in handling dept. The $ saved vs S65, you can keep your rare E36M3 for alternate days when you get bored driving these straightline autobahn machines. Trust me, i had few E46/E36M3s previously so know what you expect. I first bought my E55 then S600 rather than S65 because i couldn't believe how amazingly quiet smooth & fast the S600 are when taking off like a 747 but with no exhaust noises. I just didn't want another louder AMG exhaust for DD, but for you i think you'll add an exhaust due to your age. S55 wrong choice because you'll have to spend atleast $10Gs to make it comparable fast to a tuned V12tt & that's from an E55 current owner. If i were you, i'll get a turbo sports car with alot of torque & get way more chicks than S65 similiar price range. GL.

retardedmunk

This is my personal car----I have a loan on it---

$44k obo

It is a Iridium Silver on Black with :
Keyless Go
rear seat option not four place seating which nobody wants
(the rear seat are a/c-heated with reclining)
Parktronic
Rear power trunk
Nav ofcourse

I am the third owner- second owner was a fanatic..first owner only owned cars for short time...I will supply the VMI--clean Autocheck--no paintwork

Brand new brakes only 3 months old- new alignment and brand new Nitto Invo Tires only 2 weeks old....oil change and air filter(k&n) a month old

Needs nothing...rides and drives as new...

currently has 61k miles...I bought it with 58k miles
no warranty- Didnt want one.....I have a lot of confidence in these cars after owning a lot of them and I have a independent mechanic I use
ofcourse a warranty is about $2400

Why am I considering selling...because I am buying another house and the bank just pulled my Credit and will not loan based on this loan I currently have
with this car----really sucks..I have a 4.4% rate with chase ...I bought the car cash then put a loan on it...no sense in holding up $45k..my interest is only $100 a month....

@ $40k the payment will be under $800 a month...and after a year you will already have paid off about $10k in principal..not bad huh..the car will not ever be a $30k car ..even with 100k miles...trust me..they only built 420 of them..and they can run a 250k miles easy

CHASE is the way to go on a loan...PERIOD...

SO let me know...this is not an emergency...I can buy the house outright but I prefer to put paper on it...

Mark